Industrial employment grew by a half percent over the past 12 months, according to a trade publisher’s new report.

The 2012 Hawaii Manufacturers Directory, published by the Illinois-based Manufacturers’ News Inc., reports that the state gained 139 industrial jobs between Dec. 2010 and Dec. 2011, the first gain since 2007, when the company began reporting on Hawaii’s industrial employment.

Food products are the state’s largest industrial sector in terms of employment, but the directory noted expansion at Cyanotech and the opening of Big Island Carbon, both on Hawaii Island.